Monthly Archives: June 2012

English: Logo of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2006) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON (AP)— The Food and Drug Administration has approved Arena Pharmaceutical’s anti-obesity pill Belviq, the first new prescription drug for long-term weight loss to enter the U.S. market in over a decade. Despite only achieving modest weight loss in clinical studies, the drug appeared safe enough to win the FDA’s endorsement, amid calls from doctors for new weight-loss treatments. The agency cleared the pill Wednesday for adults who are obese or are overweight with at least one medical complication, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. The FDA denied approval for Arena’s drug in 2010 after scientists raised concerns about tumors that developed in animals studied with the drug. The company resubmitted the drug with additional data earlier this year, and the FDA said there was little risk of tumors in humans. With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approve new weight loss treatments. But a long line of prescription weight loss offerings have been associated with safety problems, most notably the fen-phen combination, which was linked to heart valve damage in 1997. The cocktail of phentermine and fenfluramine was a popular weight loss combination prescribed by doctors, though it was never approved by FDA. In a rare move, the FDA explicitly stated in a press release that Belviq “does not appear to activate” a chemical pathway that was linked to the heart problems seen with fen-phen. The FDA says the drug acts on a different chemical pathway in the brain, which is believed to reduce appetite by boosting feelings of satiety and fullness. Belviq is one of three experimental weight-loss drugs whose developers have been trying for a second time to win approval, after the FDA shot them all down in 2010 or early 2011 because of serious potential side effects. Vivus Inc.‘s Qnexa is thought to be the most promising of the drugs, achieving the most weight loss. But the FDA has delayed a decision on that pill until July. Shares of San Diego-based Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. jumped $3.03, or 34 percent, to $11.88 in trading Wednesday afternoon. Arena’s studies showed that patients taking Belviq, known generically as lorcaserin, had modest weight loss. On average patients lost just 3 to 3.7 percent of their starting body weight over a year. About 47 percent of patients without diabetes lost at least 5 percent of their weight or more, which was enough to meet FDA standards for effectiveness. By comparison, average weight loss with Qnexa is 11 percent, with more than 83 percent of patients losing 5 percent of their weight or more. Side effects with the drug include depression, migraine and memory lapses. In May a panel of expert advisers to the FDA voted 18-4 to recommend approval of Arena’s drug, concluding that its benefits “outweigh the potential risks when used long-term” in overweight and obese people. Experts say the challenge of weight loss drug development lies in safely turning off one of the body’s fundamental directives: to eat enough food to maintain its current weight. While several drugs are available for short-term weight loss, until Wednesday there was only one FDA-approved prescription drug for long-term weight loss: Xenical from Roche, which is seldom prescribed because unpleasant digestive side effects and modest weight loss. Other safety failures for diet pills have continued to pile up in recent years. Four years ago Sanofi-Aventis SA discontinued studies of its highly anticipated pill Acomplia due to psychiatric side effects, including depression and suicidal thoughts. In 2010, Abbott Laboratories withdrew its drug Meridia after a study showed it increased heart attack and stroke.

Check out this news article I read on Shine from Yahoo I don’t think the court system should have the right to take someones children away because of their weight.Unless of course the children were in danger or neglected or something. Sence when Does a weight problem make you an unfit parent? That’s what one dad who lost custody of kids fears. The 360-pound father of two claims his size affected the court’s decision to turn his kids over to the state.
The 38-year-old Ottawa man, whose identity is protected by Canada’sChild and Family Services Act, plans to appeal a decision to place his two young sons, ages five and six, up for adoption. In an exclusive interview with Canada’s CTV he claimed family court medical advisers were concerned he was “too fat, and couldn’t keep up with my children.”
For the past year, the boys have been in foster care, taken from their mother’s home after her suspected overdose and mental breakdown. Because of their father’s history of legal problems stemming from accounts of public fights and threats, they were placed in the care of the Children’s Aid Society.
But over the course of a year, the father has been trying to rectify his past and earn the right to care for his own children. While he admits he hasn’t been a model parent on paper, he’s convinced it’s his struggle with obesity, not his past anger issues, that’s left him childless. Obese Dad ‘Unfit’ to Parent, Kids
While the judge in the case hasn’t released an official statement, a doctor’s report submitted to the court backs up the dad’s claim. The assessment by a clinic adviser warns the man has “struggled with obesity for years, which impacts significantly on most aspects of his life including [his] functioning as a parent.” It continues: “He was short of breath or winded in simply walking short distances about the clinic and he lacks both the mobility and stamina required to keep up with young and active children.”
But since his custody battle began, the father claims to have already lost 150 pounds and hopes to lose more. Weight shouldn’t be the deciding factor in whether a person can parent, claims the dad, though he does believe in living a healthier lifestyle.

Reblogged:from Yahoo Health This is a great article, with links to exercise routines for everyone no matter what age you are these routines will keep you in shape and feeling great.The way you age is determined by more than just your DNA. The latest research reveals that exercise can help delay and even reverse aging’s debilitating effects on your muscles, heart, and brain. The only side effect? You will also look your best.Men’s Health talked to the world’s leading cardiologists, neuroscientists, nutritionists, and trainers to create this master plan for your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. It can help you anticipate your body’s physiological shifts, and then guide you through critical adjustments to your workout and diet to match them. Yes, you will grow older, but you’ll also grow stronger and even smarter.Jump to:

Workout Tips for Your 20s

There”s no faster way to build muscle than with low-rep, heavy-resistance routines based on the fundamental strength exercises: the squat, the bench press, and the dead lift, says Mike Robertson, C.S.C.S., an Indianapolis-based trainer. Use these tips to do each exercise better. Squat: Keep your chest up and back naturally arched, and turn your knees out during the movement. Bench press: As you push the weight up, keep your shoulder blades back and down, and tighten your leg muscles. Tuck your elbows close to your sides. Deadlift: Keep your chest up and back flat, squeeze your glutes, and push from your heels on the lift.

Power is a function of strength and speed working in concert, so when you”re in your 20s, your training should also include plyometric exercises, or explosive movements. “Jumps allow strength to be converted to power,” says Boyle. “Think of it this way: Jumps train mainly your nerves, while weights train your muscles.” In fact, along with helping you gain speed and power, doing plyometrics also builds new muscle, according to a 2008 Danish study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Build a Body She’ll Desire

Don”t deny your vanity; just remember who you”re trying to impress. In a landmark Harvard study, male undergraduates were asked to choose which bodies they wanted to have from a range of composite images. On average, the guys chose bodies with 30 pounds more muscle. By contrast, when women were asked to select men”s bodies they found attractive, they chose guys with 15 to 30 pounds less muscle than the male participants had selected. “The ideal is closer to Derek Jeter”s body than that of Barry Bonds ,” says Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and co-author of the study.

Fuel Up on Super

Protein is the key nutrient for building muscle. And all men, especially guys in their 20s, should take in at least 30 percent of their total calories from high-quality protein sources like lean meats, fish, dairy, and poultry, says Susan Bowerman, M.S., R.D., an assistant director of UCLA”s center for human nutrition. Eat 1 gram of protein for each pound of your target weight. For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds but want to weigh 180, eat 180 grams of protein a day. To speed recovery from power workouts, drink a shake made with at least 20 grams of whey protein powder, 1/3 cup milk, 1 cup cranberry juice, and 1 cup frozen mixed berries (which are inflammation fighters).

This week, Summer Shape Up paid a visit to celebrity fitness trainerJackie Warner to discuss her new book “10 Pounds In 10 Days,” which divulges her secret formula for getting her star clients red carpet-ready. The program shows you how to lose a quick 10 pounds and how to continue losing weight over 30 days if you have more weight to lose. http://d.yimg.com/nl/shine/site/player.html#browseCarouselUI=hide&vid=29644969″></iframe></div> The book also includes simple food plans and workouts to enhance fat-burning and toning. The New York Times best-selling author says her five “intensity techniques” are key to burning calories. These exercises jump-start your metabolism and help make you look and feel better overall:
1. Cardio-acceleration: a short but intense cardio burst between strength-training exercises, such as jumping rope or using an elliptical machine.
2. High-intensity interval training (HIIT): alternating bursts of high-intensity and low-intensity aerobic activity, such as alternating a three-minute jog with a one-minute sprint.
3. Supersets: sets of two different exercises for the same muscle group back to back, then doing two more exercises for a different muscle group, without any rests between sets.
4. Full-body circuit: performed twice during each 10-day period. Do ten or more exercises virtually nonstop, such as bicep curls, military presses, deep squats).
5. Rest-pause to 100 reps: this method involves stopping when you’ve reached failure in a set, resting for a short period of time, then continuing for as many reps as you can until you reach 100 reps total.To complement working out, Jackie’s 10 x 10 program includes a balanced and nutrient-rich diet. You can follow either her 10-day diet at 950 calories per day, her 20-day diet at 1,200 calories, or her 30-day diet at 1,500 calories. Jackie also created her own line of wellness and nutritional products to help maximize the body’s ability to keep the pounds off.
To learn more about “10 Pounds In 10 Days,” you can buy the book at www.jackiewarner.com

Reblogged: from Shine on Yahoo Eat Oatmeal to Power Your Morning Workout. If your morning workout routine includes a workout for your abs but you are not seeing any results, the problem might be related to what you’re eating. Your body‘s overall metabolism needs to be working top-notch to really have all that exercise pay off. The foods you eat can play a huge role in how well your metabolism works. Eating oatmeal may be the secret to powering your workout and boosting your metabolism.
Two years ago I started working out and having a more active lifestyle. In the first year I lost almost 20 pounds. However, the last 10 pounds were the hardest to drop. After a lot of research I realized that by giving my body some better fuel in the morning and adding a little bit of cardio, I could set it up for a full day of calorie burning. The best fuel in the morning is a mix of whole grains, fruit, and dairy. However, if you are like me, healthy eating can get boring. So, I discovered healthy eating recipes on the Quaker website .
My favorite oatmeal breakfast has been the peanut butter and jelly oatmeal bowl. Here is my healthy eating recipe that will satisfy a sweet tooth, power your morning workout, and rev up your metabolism: Ingredients: 1/2 cup 100% whole oats OR one package instant oats 1/2 cup of water 1/2 cup of almond milk (can use skim milk as well) 1 container of Dole single-serve sliced frozen strawberries (or about a 1/4 cup of fresh sliced strawberries) 1 TBS of creamy peanut butter Directions: Put the oats, milk, and water into a microwave-safe bowl and mix together. Place the frozen strawberries on top. Microwave the mixture for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and top with the peanut butter.
There are mixed reviews on whether you should eat before or after a workout. It is definitely not a good idea to work out on an empty stomach, but eating too much can make you feel sick while you are working out. Oatmeal, yogurt, and apples are all on the top ten list of metabolism boosting foods; eating them all together means your body will burn calories much better throughout the day.
By finding healthy eating recipes that combine metabolism boosting foods into one meal, you can help your metabolism work better and lose weight faster with less exercising.

Reblogged:from Huffington Post The Cure for Carb Phobia? Imagine you’re out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. Which makes you more anxious: the bread basket or the fact the menu doesn’t list prices? Be honest. If you’re like a lot of women, the thought of a warm, aromatic basket of freshly baked carbs right in front of you makes your heart race and your palms sweat. The reason for this, says Franco Carlotto, a six-time Mr. World Fitness and author of the book Carb Cycle, is that we are suffering from “Carb phobia.” Carlotto calls this mass delusion a “travesty,” saying that not only does completely eliminating carbs make you feel sluggish and deprived, but it’s actually bad for you. “You don’t lose weight . In fact, you are training your body to preserve fat.”Carlotto’s mission is to take the fear out of eating carbs, and his trick, honed by experimenting on his own chiseled physique since he was 16, is a practice called “carb cycling.
“Carb Cycling: The Basics“Carb cycling involves alternating periods of low-carb intake with periods of higher-carb intake. For example, you could go almost carb-free for four days and then eat a lot of carbs for one day. Repeating this process makes for a carb cycle. To do Carlotto’s particular program, detailed in his book, first you have to go back to the science.

“The body has two separate energy storage systems,” he says. “You store fat, yes, but you also store carbohydrate in your liver and muscles.”

The theory goes that if you eat no carbs, thereby depleting your stores, then your body goes into starvation mode. And anyone who’s been on a crash diet knows how awful that feels. On the other end of the spectrum, if you eat so many carbs that your carb storage is always full, then any excess carbs you eat are stored in your body as fat.

“The key is to keep your carb storage full and then slowly (slowly!) empty it by cutting your intake of grains, starches, and exotic foods in half,” Carlotto says. Once your carb storage is depleted, you can start replenishing it without fear that the calories will be stored as fat. If you do this, he promises that you will be able to eat what you like without fear of gaining weight.

Carb Cycling: Does It Work? Carlotto is living proof that carb cycling is effective. “I was loading up on Swiss chocolate right before the Mr. World Fitness competition ,” he says. “People couldn’t believe it! But this is how I feel good.” Being half-Italian, it made Carlotto sad to hear his fellow competitors brag about how they hadn’t had a potato in months. “I love oatmeal! And brown rice and even frozen yogurt!”

“Carbohydrates give you energy and help retain muscle, yet they can also stimulate fat storage. When you eat fewer carbs and replace those carbs with protein, the body ramps up fat-mobilizing enzymes and hormones, resulting in accelerated fat loss ,” Cosgrove says. “However, a prolonged period of low carbs will leave your muscles weak and lacking in glycogen.”

To maximize the benefits, Cosgrove recommends her clients cycle their carbs using a pattern of three days low-carb followed by one day of higher carbs to restock glycogen stores.

Carlotto and Cosgrove aren’t the only ones who have found success with carb cycling. Both have used their methods on countless clients with incredible results.When done properly, carb cycling works for everyone because our bodies are programmed to respond to natural fluctuations in food intake, Carlotto says. “Our bodies are smart. This is how our ancestors ate 5,000 years ago.”

Rebogged: from Huffington Post Open-Faced Grilled Eggplant, Red Onion, and Heirloom Tomato Sandwiches with Creamy Celeriac Sauce If you like eggplant you have got to try this yummy Recipe I found makes a great lunch on a nice summer day.While a slice of rustic bread supports the vegetables on this open-faced sandwich, grilled eggplant is the real foundation. Grilled eggplant has a sweet, smoky flavor and would be delicious eaten alone. But I layer tangy sweet grilled onions and ripe, seasonal heirloom tomatoes into the mix to add beautiful colors and additional flavors that meld well with the buttery eggplant. Right before serving, the sandwich is brightened with Creamy Celeriac Sauce.
If you can’t grill, the eggplant and onions can also be cooked in an oven. Just place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet 3 to 4 inches from the heat and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until brownedand slightly crisp. Turn them with a fork and broil for another minute or so. After removing the vegetables, place the bread under the broiler for about 1 1/2 minutes per side, until lightly browned

Directions

For the sauce: In an upright blender, combine the tofu, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, garlic, agave nectar, mustard, olive oil, paprika, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and blend until smooth. If necessary, season with additional salt and pepper to taste

Transfer the sauce to a bowl, stir in the green onions and celery root, and garnish with the remaining parsley.

For the sandwiches: Preheat a grill or broiler. Soak eight 12-inch wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and mix well with a fork.

Add the vegetables to the bowl and toss to coat.

If grilling, thread the onion slices onto two skewers each. Transfer the onions and the eggplant rounds to the grill and cook, turning once with tongs, until browned and slightly crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

After turning the vegetables, add the bread to the grill. Cook, turning once, until crisp and golden on the surface but still soft inside, about 4 minutes.

Assemble the sandwich by layering a slice of eggplant, a slice of tomato, and several slices of onion. Slather on some celeriac sauce, then sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.

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